National Economic and Social Development Office Act 2006

Conditions of membership.

18.— (1) The term of office of an ordinary member of a body shall be not less than 2 years and not more than 5 years.

(2) The Taoiseach shall designate one member of each body to be the chairperson of that body.

(3) The term of office of the chairperson of a body shall be not less than 2 years and not more than 5 years.

(4) Where the chairperson of a body ceases to be a member of the body, he or she shall also thereupon cease to be chairperson of the body.

(5) Each member of a body shall hold office on such terms (other than the payment of remuneration and allowances for expenses) as the Taoiseach determines at the time of the member's appointment.

(6) There shall be paid to the members of a body such remuneration (if any) and such allowances for expenses incurred by them as the Taoiseach, with the consent of the Minister for Finance, may from time to time determine.

(7) A member of a body shall be disqualified from being such a member where he or she—

(a) ceases to represent the body or interest group which nominated him or her and where such cesser has been duly notified to the Taoiseach by the relevant body or interest group concerned,

(b) being a member of Dáil Éireann or Seanad Éireann on the Forum, ceases to be such a member,

(c) being a representative of the local government system on the Forum, ceases to be such a member,

(d) is adjudicated bankrupt,

(e) makes a composition or arrangement with creditors,

(f) is convicted of an indictable offence in relation to a company,

(g) is convicted of an offence involving fraud or dishonesty, or

(h) is disqualified or restricted from being a director of any company (within the meaning of the Companies Acts).

(8) A disqualification pursuant to an order of a court referred to in subsection (7)(d), (f), (g) or (h) shall not take effect until the ordinary time for appealing against any such order has expired, or if an appeal is lodged within that time, until any such appeal, or a further appeal therefrom is determined.

(9) A member of a body may at any time resign his or her membership by letter addressed to the Taoiseach and the resignation shall take effect from the date specified therein or upon receipt of the letter by the Taoiseach, whichever is the later.

(10) A member of a body may at any time for stated reasons be removed from membership of the body by the Taoiseach if, in the Taoiseach's opinion, the member has become incapable through ill-health of performing his or her functions, or has committed stated misbehaviour, or his or her removal appears to the body to be necessary for the effective performance by it of its functions.

(11) If a member of a body dies, resigns, retires, becomes disqualified or is removed from office, the Taoiseach may appoint a person to be a member of the body to fill the casual vacancy so occasioned and the person so appointed shall be appointed in the same manner as the member of the body who occasioned the casual vacancy.

(12) A person appointed to be a member of a body by virtue of this paragraph shall hold office for the remainder of the term of office of the member who occasioned the casual vacancy he or she is appointed to fill and shall be eligible for re-appointment as a member of the body.

(13) A member of a body whose period of membership expires by the effluxion of time shall be eligible for re-appointment as a member of the body.

(14) The Taoiseach shall, in so far as is practicable and having regard to relevant experience, ensure an equitable balance between men and women in the composition of a body.